Borrowed from the new (fútbol) Blog by our friend Jennifer Doyle, From a Left Wing:

“But most interesting, and forthcoming, were guys working the match as referee & linesmen, all certified by CAFLA, a training school for refs, run, as it should be, in spanish — the defacto language of the pitch in Southern California. I catch them as they are loading up their cars long after everyone else has left. And where with the others my introduction “Hello, I’m researching amateur soccer in LA” was met politely, but not exactly with enthusiasm — the ref’s spot my Club América scarf, and so start teasing me about what a disaster Mexican soccer is (”crazy fútbol!”). Turns out the three are from El Salvador. We talked about the Mexico vs Argentina World Cup match — one of the best of the summer.”